“Why?” Rena was flabbergasted. “If Senton and I have to practice so much, what’s the difference with Mom and Dad?”

“Because you already have a yellow core, Sis.” Tista replied. “The breakthrough to the green will be very painful unless you fortify your body properly. You might even die if it happens away from the tower.”

“Tista is right, Rena.” Solus said. “To withstand your breakthroughs and handle powerful spells, your mana core and body must develop at the same rate.”

“As for your second question, Mom and Dad have decided to take the path to become mages.” Lith said. “They will study and train until they reach the bright blue in a few years, and then I’ll teach them the secret of the violet core.

“You two, instead, just want to be Awakened, but I recommend reaching at least a deep green core. That’s the threshold that separates a mage from a magico/a and marks the minimum mana capacity to use dimensional magic.

“After that, as long as you don’t use Accumulation, your mana core will stop developing, and you won’t face any more breakthroughs. You can go back to your old lives with all the perks of being an Awakened mage.”

“The deep green might be around the corner for Rena, but I’m barely at the bright red.” Senton pointed out. “How long will it take me to reach that level?”